What Did Jesus Mean When He Said, “I Did Not Come to Abolish the Law but to Fulfill It”?(Matthew 5:17-18)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Jesus’ statement here is foundational for understanding how the Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets) relates to His mission. He is affirming that He did not come to cancel the teachings of the Old Testament, but to bring them to their intended fulfillment—to complete what they pointed forward to.

1. He Fulfilled the Law Morally
Jesus fulfilled the moral law (example the Ten Commandments) by living a sinless, obedient life. He was the only one who ever kept the Law perfectly.
Hebrews 4:15 

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

When He deepened commands like “Do not murder” and “Do not commit adultery” in Matthew 5:21–30, He wasn’t replacing the Law but showing its true spiritual intent—that God desires purity of heart, not just outward compliance.

2. He Fulfilled the Law Ceremonially
Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial aspects of the Law (like sacrifices, festivals, temple rituals) by becoming the true sacrifice and High Priest.
Hebrews 10:1 

“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities…”

Colossians 2:16–17 

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”

Everything in the sacrificial system pointed forward to Jesus. The lambs, the offerings, the priesthood—all of it was fulfilled in Him.

3. He Fulfilled the Law Prophetically
Many Old Testament laws and prophetic writings anticipated the Messiah. Jesus is the one to whom they all pointed.
Luke 24:44

Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’”

From the promise of a Redeemer in Genesis 3:15 to the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53, Jesus is the fulfillment of all prophetic expectation.

4. He Enables Us to Fulfill the Law Through the Spirit
While believers are not under the Old Testament Law as a system of salvation (Romans 6:14), the righteous requirements of the Law are fulfilled in us as we live by the Spirit.
Romans 8:3–4 

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son… he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Through Christ, we are empowered to live out the heart of God’s law—not out of obligation, but out of transformed hearts.

In  Summary

Jesus did not abolish the Law; He fulfilled it:

By living it out perfectly (moral fulfillment)

By being the reality behind its symbols (ceremonial fulfillment)

By accomplishing what the prophets foretold (prophetic fulfillment)

And by making it possible for us to live in alignment with God’s will through the Holy Spirit.

The Law was never the way to salvation, but it pointed to the One who is. In Christ, we find both the end and the goal of the Law in Romans 10:4

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

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